Crookston man, Bob Cournia, dies in Thursday morning accident

Thursday

Nov 7, 2013 at 12:45 PM

His pickup left Fairfax Ave., went through ditch, and struck unoccupied, parked bus at Tri-Valley Opportunity Council's transportation facility.

Times Staff

A 67-year-old Crookston man, Robert A. "Bob" Cournia, died Thursday after the vehicle he was driving left Fairfax Avenue on Crookston's southeast edge and traveled through the ditch before striking a parked Tri-Valley bus.

Crookston Police hadn't publicly identified the victim as of early Thursday afternoon, but the announcement of Cournia's death and information regarding his funeral service was released shortly after noon by the Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home.

The accident was reported at 8 a.m. Thursday, with police, Crookston firefighters and Crookston Area Ambulance Service paramedics being dispatched to the Tri-Valley Opportunity Council transportation building, the onetime home of Crookston Implement. According to the report, Cournia was eastbound on Fairfax Ave. in a 1998 Chevrolet pickup when the vehicle left the roadway and entered the north ditch before colliding with the unoccupied, parked bus in the parking lot.

Polk County deputies that were the first on scene were notified upon arrival that one person was possibly trapped inside the pickup. Cournia was subsequently removed from the vehicle and CPR was initiated. He was taken by ambulance to RiverView, where he was pronounced dead.